Ivanovici was born in Timișoara, Austrian Empire. His interest in music began after he learned to play a flute given to him when he was a child.[1] Later, he enrolled in the 6th Army Regiment, where he also learned to play the clarinet. His talent for music soon led him to become among the best musicians in the regiment, and he continued to study with Emil Lehr, one of the most prominent musicians of the latter half of the nineteenth century. Ivanovici later became a bandmaster, and toured Romania. In 1900, he was appointed the Inspector of Military Music, a position that he held until his death next year.[1]

Although today Ivanovici is chiefly remembered for his waltz Waves of the Danube (Donauwellen in German, Flots du Danube, in French), in his lifetime he composed over 350 dances, and his works were published by over sixty publishing houses throughout the world.[1] In 1889, Ivanovici won the coveted march prize to mark the World Exhibition in Paris,[2] out of 116 entries.[1] He died in Bucharest.

His great-grandson Andrei Ivanovitch is a successful international classical pianist.